


Reunited

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-30 22:29:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8551639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Katja is reunited with Buck, but not in the way she wants.





	

Jessica tried her hardest to stop Katja from asking the question that she knew would be asked. She tried to keep her busy, catching her up on what had been happening on the base for the past few years. But they both knew that that wasn’t what Katja was really interested in.

“And my son?” asked Katja. “How is he? Where is he?” Jess tried to keep her face neutral, but Katja could tell when she was avoiding something.

“He’s… fine,” said Jess. The hesitation felt like it was hours long. And there was so much in that pause. “We taught him how to access his other powers. His hockey stick made an excellent rune staff.”

“Where is he?” asked Katja.

“The Harvest Counties,” said Jess. “He’s been there for a while, keeping an eye on those Global Energy buffoons. Though we moved him after-“

“What. Happened?” asked Katja, cutting her off. Jess swallowed nervously. 

“Alex found him,” said Jess. Katja trembled but bit her lip to stop it trembling. “They had a fight. And…”

“And?” Katja demanded, taking a step towards her.

“She blew up his rune staff and took his hand with it,” said Jess. “But it’s okay, I gave him a cyber hand!”

“Did you use pain-numbing spells?” At Jessica’s guilty silence, Katja growled at her and stormed away.

“He’s stationed outside Fort Maria now,” said Jess.

“Thank you,” said Katja.

“And when he teleported home in pain, he was calling for you,” said Jess. “He was calling for his mother.” Katja wasn’t sure if Jess had intended to hurt her, but that knowledge raised her hopes. She disappeared before Jess could say anything more.

Katja used an invisibility spell to get to Epona, but she walked up the Fort Maria road in full visibility. She didn’t want to startle Buck, not now that he’d learned how to use his mother’s magic. That thought hurt. She’d been intending to have his mother teach him that. Now, there was no chance. His mother was long dead, and her soul currently resided in the body of a girl who didn’t hold a single shred of love for her. For either of them.

“Buck,” Katja called gently. Maybe he wouldn’t recognise this gentle side of her, but she just couldn’t muster the commanding tone that she’d once used with him. Not after years of missing him.

“Master,” said Buck. “You have returned.” It broke her heart that he didn’t recognise her as his mother. She should destroy Jess for getting her hopes up like that.

“Yes, I have,” said Katja. Tears wouldn’t affect him, so she didn’t try to hide him. She looked at his hands. His right one, the one that had held the hockey stick, looked more metallic than the other one. “Jessica told me that you lost your hand.”

“I have a new one now,” said Buck, tapping the knuckles of his clenched fist. They made a metallic sound.

“I could regrow your old one,” said Katja. Why did Alex’s soul have to be in a girl so vile? Now, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to try to turn her or just kill her and hope for the best with the next one.

“No, I like this one better,” said Buck. “It causes more damage when I punch people.”

“You learned magic,” said Katja. “I wanted to teach you that. Your mother should’ve taught you.”

“Darko taught me,” said Buck. 

“Your cousin,” said Katja. “Don’t you remember your family?”

“No,” said Buck. “I have no family.” Katja gave a sob and hugged him, the way she hadn’t done in years.

Buck felt something when his master wrapped her arms around him, but he wasn’t sure what it was. It almost felt familiar, like he should remember her doing this. And he did, but then dark clouds blocked out the memory and brought him back to the present.

“At least I have you,” said Katja. “Even if you don’t remember me.”

“It’s good to have you back, master,” said Buck.

When Katja returned to the base, Jessica was suspiciously absent. That was probably a good thing. It was probably better that Katja had the chance to calm down. So she could find out from Jess everything that had happened with her son over the years.


End file.
